Suspect in Paris knife attack is African under expulsion order, says Paris prosecutor

The suspect of a Paris train station knife attack that left six people injured is a young African man facing expulsion from the country, local media reported.

The knife-wielding suspect attacked several people on Wednesday at the Gare du Nord train station, including a police officer, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed hours later.

He added that two police officers fired three shots and managed to neutralize the suspect, who was now "between life and death at the hospital."

The man might be in his twenties, born in Libya or Algeria, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement, according to local media.

He was shot twice to the chest and once to the arm, Beccuau explained, adding that he has yet to be interviewed by police due to his health condition.

According to a police source cited by the French daily La Croix, the suspect was born in 2000 and arrived in France three years ago, known to police for minor infractions.

He was under a measure known as an obligation to leave France (OQTF), which requires foreigners to leave the country within 30 days.

Gare du Nord, where the attack took place, is not just Paris' busiest railway station, but Europe's as well, serving over 292 million passengers in 2021, according to SNCF data.